Sometimes the past creeps up, swirling and sticking to the souls of others. The boy and girl walked in icy wind, her heels sinking lightly into the snow filled path.

The boy, a gangly 17 years of age, clutched onto his yellow notepad, looking ahead at the university building.

The girl, with vivacious curves and blond hair smiled slowly at the ground. She held her neck slightly out, and high, hoping to conceal the slight second chin she had, or thought she had. To a passerby the girl would have appeared pretty in nature, and fairly normal. Unfortunately, the girl held an unhealthy view of her body type, and feared others would consider her ugly, grotesque and pathetic. She cleared throat.

“Look, I don’t want this to be awkward.”

“Wow, no awkward clause, umm…okay, hold it…. so were clear…” the boy stammered, playing with his fingers. The pair of teenagers looked opposite, one tall and gangly, the other medium height and curvy.

“ Tanner, chill, can I just ask the question?” she interrupted.

“Sure.” He replied, glancing up at the piercing blue skies.

“So, ummmm….I’m planning to go to prom this year, and wouldn’t like to be alone, and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me….as friends of course…..” her eyes started to wonder, and she bit her lip. Her vision seemed to thin, and briefly her mind went somewhere else, somewhere beyond this time.





______________

The princess sipped at her wine slowly, her eyes seductively starring at the man in front of her. “You’ve come asking for money I presume, Tanana?”

Tanana lay with his forehead turned down, his eyes shifted up and locked with the princesses’. “ I was told you summoned me, your highness.”

She furrowed her brow at his answer, than swore across her shoulder. Her head turned back to the servant, his brown cloth barely covering his loins. “It seems my father has plans for you, which,” her voice dropped, and became ice, “ it seems he failed to discuss with me.”

“What, your highness?” he asked, his head still facing the ground, but his fingers clenched the ground, as his body wished to stand again.

She rolled her eyes, and her lips puckered. “ At the risk of embarrassment on either of our parts, I’ll be blunt. My father wants his loyal subjects to better respect him, so he’s decided it’d be good if one of his daughters married one of the peasants.”

“Are you asking, uhh, for my hand in marriage, highness?” the servant worker squeaked. His eyes turned wide, and he lifted his head to face hers.

“Unfortunately.” She said, then glanced at her guards standing beside her. The middle guard seemed to having a hard time keeping a relaxed expression. “Yes,” she directed her voice to the middle guard. “ I supposed am asking a lowly servant for his hand in marriage.” Than her voice seemed to resume it’s lively accent. “ I never quite expected this would be the kind of political marriage I’d have to endure.”

“Do you accept?” she asked the man, starring into his eyes, but her eyes seemed to be unfocused and going somewhere, far, far, far…away.

__________________


The prostitute stood hanging her breasts out the window, “ Come on’ boys! I’m jus’ a poor lit’ girl needin’ a man to take a’ care of her!”

A rather aristocratic man stood directly under window and bellowed. “Adeline, what in good heavens are you doing? I leave you alone for a few moments and you’ve got the whole town starring at your exposed chest!”

She looked down. “ I ain’t know no Adeline, my is a Rose, come up and I’ sho’ yo’!”

“Are you asking for my to join your patronage, Adeline, I had thought we were past such frivolousness of your disease.” He answered.

She smiled down at him, and further leaned out the window, to where her belly button became visible to the outside. “Come now sir, no need to be awkward, I just needa to as’ you a question?”

“And what is that my dear?” he responded, his voice becoming strained.

“Would ya prefer me to be a good ol’ girl, or a bad ol’ girl? Cause I’mma sure good at both, my sir!” suddenly, she pulled her body back into the room, and her eyes unfocused and she slumped to the floor….going far, far, away….





________________

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to DJ the Rathmusson School Prom, and just don’t feel like committing so much to time to both proms…”


___________________________________

“I am already married, your highness, and would not disgrace my first wife so….”


___________________________________

“I will not engage with you either way Madame, but I will tell you my time spent taking you has expired. Good day, Adeline, I am done with your madness.”


__________________________________

The princess, prostitute madwomen, and teenager all smiled, and said softly. “ Of, course, I understand.” Silently, their hearts dropped, as the princess anticipated her fathers wrath; the prostitute saw through the fog she had lost her one friend; and the teenager realizing her current crush had just turned her down. All their insecurities came flowing back, and all three women sucked in breaths of sorrow across the span of time.